Hidden Encounter In Elden Ring’s DLC Reveals A Cool Detail About Messmer's Army

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A strange encounter in : reveals just how much detail went into crafting the story of Messmer's army. The main focus of the DLC is on the devastation left in Messmer's wake — players arrive in ’s DLC map to find the Land of Shadow thoroughly razed, torn apart by the Impaler's advancement. The player comes upon ruined battlefields after the fact, and is left to piece together the nature and course of the conflict on their own.

From a certain cliff on the eastern side of the Ellac Greatbridge, players may notice a strange scene across the way:a small force of soldiers, embroiled in a dramatic last stand against a group of Bloodfiend giants. The player doesn't have to do anything to provoke this — the two seem locked in an eternal struggle for dominance. It's not entirely clear why, but if the player is willing to get a little closer and stick around for the outcome, they'll learn these are common soldiers in Messmer’s army. But what that really means isn't totally clear.

Screen Rant's Chris Teuton reviews Elden Ring's highly-anticipated Shadow of the Erdtree DLC ahead of its launch on June 21, 2024.

First and foremost, the equipment dropped by these soldiers of Messmer makes it clear that they're “” — things like Common Soldier Greaves, Common Soldier Helmets, et cetera. These set them apart from the fancier soldiers of Messmer, located a short distance away, taking potshots at passers-by with a fiery ballista from a tented camp at the foot of the Ellac Greatbridge. So there's clearly a chain of command in Messmer's army, and the lower-ranked soldiers are made to do more treacherous tasks. It could be that the higher-ranked officers are allowed to take refuge in a cushy camp, while commoners are made to fight for space in the monster-ridden lands just beyond.

It also seems that Messmer's soldiers just target monsters wherever they find them, aiming to rid the Land of Shadow from all creatures, human and monster, that would stand in their way. Players can find